Chapter 173

*Elora*

The descent began in silence.

No one spoke as we moved deeper into the spiral chamber that had opened beneath the Academy ruins—unlocked by the final glowing sigil on my wrist. The walls were smooth stone, but as we walked, etchings began to appear—glowing softly, like embers refusing to die. Runes old enough to predate language itself shimmered in strange sequences across the curved tunne